Guwahati, August 18: To bring the growing number of coaching centres in the state under a regulatory framework focused on students’ mental health, safety and academic concerns, the Assam Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Assam Private Coaching Institutes (Control and Student Mental Health Safeguard) Rules, 2026. Briefing the press after the state Cabinet meeting at Lok Sewa Bhawan, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the move was prompted by growing concerns over students facing academic pressure, frustration and mental health challenges, particularly around examination periods.

“We want to integrate mental health with coaching institutes,” Sarma said, adding that under the new rules, any coaching institute with more than 50 students will have to register with the district authorities. Sarma said the government wants to ensure that coaching institutes broaden their focus beyond academic performance to include students’ mental well-being.

“We want mental health to become an integral part of the coaching system. As per the new rules, institutes with more than 50 students will have to have mental health professionals engage with students ahead of result days, when academic anxiety and disappointment can intensify,” Sarma said.

The new framework also seeks to make coaching institutes more accountable for creating safe, inclusive and supportive environments for students, rather than limiting their responsibility to academic instruction. “The government’s objective is to create an environment where students receive support before they reach a point of crisis,” he said.

The move comes against the grim backdrop of Assam recording a worrying pattern of suicides among minors, with girls emerging as particularly vulnerable. An earlier report by The Assam Tribune on August 3 noted that, of more than 2,400 minor deaths recorded since 2021, over 1,400 were girls.

The report also pointed to a worrying suicide trend among minors, with nearly two minors dying by suicide every day, on average, in 2025. “Institutes would have to recruit or provide access to clinical psychologists and mental health counsellors, while also taking prescribed precautions to make their premises safer,” he said.

Detailing the new framework, Sarma added that institutes would also have to ensure a sensitive and non-discriminatory environment for students belonging to SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities, as well as students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students and those affected by trauma, bereavement or previous suicide attempts. The government will also prescribe safety requirements for classrooms and buildings.